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Japan's coach confident to win Asiad soccer gold with style

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Japanese men's soccer coach Takashi Sekizuka showed his confidence to win the first Asiad gold for its side one day before the final against the United Arab Emirates in Guangzhou.

"I hope the team can do their best. And I think they're well-prepared for the final," said Sekizuka in a press conference on Wednesday.

"We have won all the matches in group rounds, which is fundamental to our final match. Our team keeps improving. Every member of our team is brave and has performed their best," he added.

Japan conceded their first goal in the tournament after outscoring the four-time Asiad winner Iran 2-1 in the semifinal on Tuesday.

As its women's side has clinched their first gold on Monday, Japan was determined to repeat the feat in the men's final with their offensive-minded passing style.

"Only to play our style can we win the final match. We are confident to accomplish the task. Please see our performance tomorrow for our game strategy," said the Japanese coach.

UAE, whose soccer had witnessed some setbacks in the past ten years, stunned the gold favourite South Korea with a last-gasp winner in a semifinal Tuesday night.

The young side was composed of the players mainly under the age of 21. They showed their toughness with two victories in the past four days, both lasting 120 minutes.

Although one day rest seemed not long enough for the West Asian side to relieve, their coach still believed in his spirited boys.

"Our players are a bit tired. But this is our first time qualifying for the final at Asiad," said the coach of UAE Mahdi Ali Redha after the sensational semifinal victory.

"We will make some adjustments to our team and also analyse Japan to challenge them for the gold medal," he added.

The final is to be held on Thursday night at Tianhe Stadium. Iran will take on South Korea in the bronze medal match in the afternoon